Resident Access Strategy
Our commitment to accessible resident engagement
"It is my pleasure to introduce our new Resident Access Strategy. This information takes forward our ambitions of being an accessible and empowering council in the way we engage and interact with residents."Councillor Mike Hallam Cabinet Member Human Resources and Corporate Services
Introduction
Over the next 4 years we will further develop the excellent work completed since the creation of West Northamptonshire Council in 2021, by making access to services as straightforward as possible, and inclusive of residents’ needs.
The technology developments of the past years offer us great opportunities to do more for people and to support them when they need us. Used with safety and compassion in mind, artificial intelligence will enhance the help available for residents who are happy to find information themselves and might just need some pointers, so that our colleagues can focus on supporting those people who need us most.
By making it easy to get the information needed, directions to forms which can be filled online, and by providing people with updates whenever appropriate, we remove the need for some of our residents to have to call us or visit our offices.
This means that we have more time for those people who need our help, who need us to help them navigate complex times in their lives or get access to services which will support them at a time of crisis. You tell us in the feedback you give us and when we speak to you that some services should be quick and easy to access, that you do not want to contact us unless absolutely necessary and that you want the support to be independent. We have built our vision on the basis of the feedback received.
I am delighted to support this strategy and the continued contribution council services make to the life of residents.
In West Northamptonshire, information is easy to find and understand, with organisations and channels joined up and coherent, allowing residents to make informed decisions and healthy choices.
Advice and information are accessible to people at the right time in their lives, in a way that meets their communication needs and encourages them to seek support from their communities, be they:
- In person: in your neighbourhood, at a community group or places of worship
- Online: on websites, via social media or apps
We want to make dealing with the Council we are as quick and easy as possible for everyone, whilst we make best use of technology to work in a cost-effective way.
We want customers to have the best possible experience when they use our services, and we recognise that people contact us in many ways. We understand that access needs are different from one person to another.
Our customers include everyone living, working, volunteering, investing, studying, running a business in or visiting West Northamptonshire. They may be customers of the West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), Northamptonshire Children’s Trust (NCT) or Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH). The principles and vision in this strategy apply to all.
Some of our customers may access a number of Council services and are therefore in regular contact. At the opposite end of the spectrum are those residents who rarely contact us at all. The most contact these customers will have with the council will be to receive their annual council tax bill and set up a monthly Direct Debit or report their bins not being collected.
When designing and delivering our services we need to be mindful of different customer types to ensure we are catering for everyone appropriately.
Our customers can be categorised as:
Universal customers
These are residents who only contact the council infrequently, to:
- set up a Direct Debit for Council Tax
- apply for a school place for a child
- book a wedding registration
Preferred channel: online information and application process
Regular customers
These are residents who are in receipt of more targeted services from the council and have regular interactions with us.
They may be:
- housing tenants
- parking permit applicants
- people who need regular sharps collections
Preferred channel: a mix of all available channels, as it is important their needs are met and managed in ways most suitable to their needs.
Concerned customers
These are people who find themselves in situations which mean they have to contact the council because of a concern, worry or crisis, despite feeling anxious about the contact:
- report a concern about someone
- speak on behalf of a cared for person where there is a concern
- get urgent help in a crisis or situation impacting their family
- report an anti-social behaviour issue
Preferred channel: they are likely to need a face-to-face meeting with staff to address their needs.
Commercial customers
These are individuals or businesses who choose to buy services from the council, such as:
- ordering a copy of a birth certificate
- arranging a bulky waste collection
- making a planning application
Preferred channel: automated transactions online or with voice bots.
Over the past 3 years we have carried out many hours of engagement with the people of West Northamptonshire, through our contact centre, in our receptions and One Stop Shops, during outreach surgeries in community centre, or by speaking to people accessing services in our libraries and Welcoming Spaces.
We have also reviewed feedback received from customers, and responses to various public consultations. This gave us a rich understanding of how people want to get information and advice and this strategy aims to address these expectations.
Some of the things our residents told us:
- What you consider to be ‘simple, basic information’ about how you can get support or what is available in your local area should be easy to find and up to date on the website
- Emails and SMS are better ways of reminding you of what you need to do next, or to update you on what is happening with your applications
- Information should be simple and to the point (‘information at a glance’), and without ‘council jargon’. We should make it clear what information we need from you, what happens next and when
- Sometimes you need to speak to many different Council workers, and it can be confusing to understand what their roles are. Explaining what different roles do can be reassuring especially when you receive several different services from us
- As you are not always sure of what you need, it would be helpful for us to share the various information and services you might be interested in (‘If you do not know what you are facing, you do not know what you need to do’)
- You told us that suggestions about other useful information (‘like the Amazon site’) would help you
- You want us to use the social media channels you already access in your day to day life (‘parent Facebook groups’) - for example, videos of how to complete some of our key processes, similar to videos for learner drivers. Short-form media sites like TikTok are the go-to sources of information for young people, and we could use similar approaches to share information
- Our younger customers want the option of talking to us via a chatbot rather than calling us and prefer online forms to emails
- Busy parents told us that being able to get everything in one place makes a huge difference, as they often read information on their mobile phone, and want to be able to scroll whilst holding babies
- Navigating content should be like aisle shopping – you know where you can find what you need because of clear labelling, and similar things are grouped together
- You want to make the right decisions and take action when needed, only asking someone to help when absolutely necessary – you want us not to ‘gatekeep’ information, but make you ‘part of the team’
- Cultural and language differences shouldn’t be barriers, and we should make it easy for you to access information online or when calling us – translating online content, Read Aloud, webchat rather than calls if you feel less confident speaking to someone, a drop-in session in your local library, rather than having to come into town, on the bus, to speak to us at our offices
Universal access is a part of meeting our customers where they are. By creating multiple areas of contact and having resources available and understandable to everyone.
Council website and online directories of services
The West Northamptonshire Council website is undergoing significant improvements to make it easier for people to find information, engage with the content in an accessible format (plain English, easy read, videos and quick cards) and to notify us of changes or apply for services.
Online forms are the most efficient way of engaging with us, but we also have the option of webchat supported by a trained advisor, and are developing chat bot functionality, to be available 24/7/365, designed to answer queries, guide navigation and direct users to the most relevant sources of support.
In addition, directories of services available locally, searchable by type of activity, age range and location, will allow people to find the most suitable sources of support, activities and attractions to help them stay healthy and well within their local community.
West Northants app
This is an easy and convenient way to access local information about services available in your neighbourhood, from green spaces to food outlets and community groups and activities. An interactive facility to use on the go, the app also allows you to sign up for notifications which alert you about which bins are being collected when, issues impacting services or emergency alerts in your area (such as risk of flooding).
Welcoming Spaces
A network of spaces in the heart of communities, such as:
- community centres
- libraries
- food banks
- church halls
The above have been set up to offer a hub of advice, social interaction and access to activities supported by volunteers. These are placed where people are, where they gravitate to naturally, and offer a safe environment where everyone is welcome to meet new people, engage and receive advice from supportive, trained volunteers.
Libraries
Our network of libraries are a well-used resource of support and advice for residents, with activities for visitors of all ages, and a team of knowledgeable and helpful staff and volunteers, able to provide access to information, help develop digital skills and create a sense of safe and welcoming community.
Family Hubs
Family Hubs bring together different services to provide a single place to go for face-to-face support and information from a variety of services. Trained staff will be on site, who work together to help families overcome any difficulties they might be facing.
One stop shops
These are available at our main offices, in:
- Daventry
- Northampton
- Towcester
Bringing together services from the Council and its public sector partners, as well as from voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.
Contact centres
Our busy contact centres offer advice, signposting and access to services, through a range of well-trained advisors, who are able to handle a wide range of enquiries, to support people regardless of their communications needs and life circumstances. We want to make transacting with our advisors as easy and efficient as possible, with as much automation available to those people who want to self-serve, so that our trained resources can focus on those most in need.
Outreach strategies
We are committed to being available in those places that people naturally navigate to – community centres, places of worship, libraries. This is where people feel comfortable, in the heart of their communities, and where they can find support at the earliest sign of need.
We are providing a regular programme of sessions in these places, so that council officers can help people get access to the internet and feel confident helping themselves, guide them through complex information and processes, help them navigate the services available to them in their neighbourhood and beyond.
Our outreach surgeries have been hugely successful over the past years, and we will continue to enhance this offer by working with communities and other agencies.
Principles and desired outcomes
Strategy design principles
Our access principles are key enablers in achieving the overall aims of the organisation:
- ensuring the customer is at the centre of everything we do
- aiding self-service
- resolution at the first point of contact
- adding value to the user
- working as a single organisation
A centralised approach builds resilience and increases efficiency and supports the single view of the customer by eradicating silo thinking and approaches.
All service design and transformation should adhere to these design principles to ensure that the organisation works towards a single customer focus operating model.
There will be a few services which fall outside of the centralised front door approach where there is a solid business case. The remainder of the principles and channel-specific objectives set out in this strategy apply to these cases, and where systems can be joined, this prevents these cases creating totally isolated interactions which are not linked to the rest of the organisation.
Customer service principle
These principles apply to all council employees regardless of the service they work in:
- Enable self-service. Make interactions quicker and more effective for customers
- Keep customers central when designing changes. Use customer data, their experiences and perspectives to inform solutions. Regularly collect user feedback when testing and to support continuous improvement
- Aim to resolve things in one contact. First time resolution should always be the aim, reducing the number of times customers need to tell their story and gathering all the information needed to resolve their issue
- Always be clear about expectations and keep customers in the loop. Let customers know how long things will take to complete and keep them up to date
- We put ourselves in the customer’s shoes. We consider things from the customer’s viewpoint and try to understand how our response to the issue, concern or request feels for them. While the answers may not always be what people were hoping to hear, we should have empathy for their circumstances
Systems
In order to make the most of the centralised front door, this approach needs to be supported by the right systems; over time a more siloed system architecture has formed which makes a single view of the customer more challenging.
The corporate CRM system needs to be the main view of customers. The upgrading of online forms to this platform will give greater visibility of customer interactions in one platform.
The ambition is to reduce the overall number of systems in use, especially for initial customer requests and ensure that systems in use outside the CRM are linked to ensure there is some visibility.
We aim to create the best overall view of the customer to improve customer service.
Outcomes
We will develop a variety of access channels for our customers and continue to improve the quality and consistency of our services. At the heart of this is our intention to commit to seeing customers as individuals, assess the totality of their circumstances in the way that suits their needs, and ensuring that systems work for them.
To achieve these, there are some steps we are taking:
- Choice: Give people choice over how they engage with services and information: some prefer to self-serve on their mobile phone, in their own time, others prefer a conversation. Our services are designed with the understanding that most people prefer to self-serve, at times and in ways which are convenient to them, but we have trained resources which help those who need assistance
- Efficiency: Whenever possible, keep the process simple, so that customers have a better experience and receive quicker service
- Convenience: If residents already use certain online platforms, or attend certain venues, make information and advice available there, rather than asking them to engage in a different way.
Resident Access Strategy (2025 – 2029) - Improvements: Make it easy for residents to give us feedback about their experiences of interacting with us, learn from how these channels are being used, and make improvements in response to people’s experiences
- Automation: The latest developments in technology and the fact that artificial intelligence is now part of most people’s lives, through smart devices like Alexa or Google Assistant, allows us to shift what our colleagues do towards those services which add most value. We want to have more time to spend with people who need us most, whilst allowing most residents to resolve their queries quickly and conveniently online
How we will get there
There are several key areas of focus to achieve the desired outcome, particularly within content design, interactions and customer contact.
Resources
The Council’s website
Must be an accurate depiction of who we are and how we support our residents. It is equipped to support self-service for the public and partners, through accessible and up to date information.
Webchat and AI-powered chat bot functionality makes finding information simple and fast.
Web forms funnel activity directly into the centralised front door, or for simple transactions straight to the relevant service.
Telephone and online contact details are published alongside the locations of our Welcoming Spaces and schedule for community outreach sessions.
The website can also be used to provide clear information for people to refer to before or after their interaction that sets expectations around when they will receive a response and via which channel.
Welcoming Spaces
There are many locally recognised community venues across West Northants which provide internet access and support online web navigation.
Centralised Front Door
Initial contact is funnelled through a central point, where requests can be filtered and assessed, so only cases which need to be, are passed on to delivery teams.
This approach provides an overview of customers where repeat or multiple contacts have taken place, the services they use or need, as well as the outcomes of their contact.
The use of a central Customer Records Management (CRM) allows the gathering of data to inform actions related to each individual and also the design and delivery of services.
Triage and signposting
The front door needs to be more than an access point, with well-trained advisors being able to triage and signpost where needed, adding value to the customer and managing demand, resolving interactions at first contact.
Choice of channel and location
Meeting customers where they are, means making full use of the access points people already use, maximising the value of interactions.
Easy access depends on choice and keeping the channels on offer under review. Each channel should have a plan for improvement and continuous development to ensure it is meeting the needs of those who use it.
Reducing unnecessary contact
Proactive communication and updates can reduce the amount of contact from customers needing to find out what is happening about an open case.
A workflow management solution, updating people on what stage their request or application has reached, as well as regular and transparent communication of processing times ensure residents have no need to contact us repeatedly.
Every interaction matters
Because of the size and complexity of the organisation, there are lots of ‘touchpoints’ with customers from initial contact to service delivery and directly accessed services. Each one of these is important in supporting the customer focus of the organisation.
It is important to be aware of the whole and take responsibility for customers, effectively signposting or supporting. A ‘that’s not my department’ approach will only create further issues. This is also important in the way we refer to the council in conversations or communications as one brand and one team, without the need to refer to many different team or service names.
Ethical use of Artificial Intelligence
There will be many opportunities for us to use information in ways which allow us to keep people safe and intervene at the earliest opportunity to prevent people’s situations from getting worse. We will only do this where there is a clear benefit to the resident, and in ways which keep the information safe and use it ethically.
Artificial intelligence allows large volumes of data to be analysed and processed, speeding up processes which would otherwise take a lot of resources and add delays. Our Statement of Intent on how Artificial Intelligence will be used is available on our website.
Choice of channel and location
Customer service is an ever-evolving area and customer preferences change over time, so to provide high quality customer experiences the way that services and information can be accessed need to be continually reviewed.
Customer research on channel preferences shows that the two most popular channels to contact local public services are telephone (46%) and website (43%), with telephone having fallen by 14% since 2018 and website increased by 11% in the same timeframe. This trajectory is expected to continue.
The location where face-to-face services are delivered is an important consideration and our local area partnerships establish greater locality working and are changing we work, moving away from the more traditional approaches to ensure services are designed and evidenced from those needs of residents to enable delivery of our Prevention and Early Intervention Strategy.
A focus on prevention and reducing unnecessary contact
It is important that we reach people at the earliest opportunity, when they first start needing help. A focus on prevention means we allow people to take ownership of their problems and resolve them before further contact is needed.
Part of getting access right, is the need to ensure customers are accessing services when they need them. We waste resources when customers contact us to chase things that are happening. Part of being effective at customer service is preventing avoidable contact so resources can be targeted to delivering first time resolution and supporting vulnerable customers.
To reduce unnecessary contact, the inbound access approach needs to be supported by proactive communication with customers to prevent failure demand and ensure they are clear where they are in the process and what is happening.
This can be achieved by the following:
- Text message: A really useful channel for specific and targeted purposes, appointment reminders, helping people to access information on their mobile device
- Email update: Helpful in keeping a customer up-to-date on the progress of a request or report. The right frequency is important, with clear info on what happens next and when or what to do if there is a change
- Email bulletin: Generic information about changes or services which help drive contact in the right way and avoid unnecessary contact
- Phone call: Outbound calls are useful to help early intervention and where other channels are less effective or have not worked
- Face to face visits: This mainly forms part of an ongoing support arrangement
Every interaction matters
An important part of getting customer service right is to ensure that each interaction counts. This is particularly true of a large and complex organisation such as ours where there are many ways of accessing and a wide range of services.
- To make accessing any council service as easy and frictionless as possible, every interaction or touchpoint needs thought and consideration of the whole journey
- The website is easy to navigate, and content is organised to reflect a person's life events and circumstances, rather than the way our services are organised
- Resident are aware of all the options available to them and can make contact in the way most convenient to them
- We will link up and navigate the various departments needed to support a customer, rather than the customer needing to do this
- By understanding a person's circumstances in their totality, we can design better services and resolve issues in full
Last updated 21 May 2025